AT&T: New iPhone Plan for Hearing/Speech Disabled

AT&T recently announced it's new service plan that caters to hearing and speech disabled persons.

This new service plan is also known as the Text Accessibility Plan, or TAP. Now how is this plan different from all the other ones? Well, with this plan the user is given unlimited texts, web browsing, and easy mail access with no voice minutes included, all of this for $40/month. The TAP plan is currently available only for hearing or speech disabled people.

To qualify for this plan, one must download, print, and then fill out this .pdf form, which should then be brought to an official iPhone retail store (AT&T, Apple, etc.)

"AT&T is pleased to announce a new Text Accessibility Plan (TAP) for iPhone. This new Text Accessibility Plan was developed for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, have a speech disability and/or hearing loss, and was designed with input from the community."

Deaf and speech impaired users are still required to activate their iPhones via the regular iTunes method, they can then contact the National Center for Customers with Disabilities at 1-866-241-6567 (TTY) or 1-866-241-6568 (Voice) for help or more information.

Check out AT&T's new service plan here

AT&T: 3G iPhone for $199.00?

AT&T might be looking to make the new 3G iPhone a bit more affordable to users who do not want to pour their savings into a phone. Apparently AT&T is considering cutting the 3G price by $200.00 to make it more financially "appealing."

We have seen just how popular the "original" iPhone was, now imagine an iPhone $200.00 cheaper, with new features, and with a reputation to back it up, the possibility for the success of the 3G iPhone is looking better and better each day.

According to TopiPhoneNews the 3G was originally slated to sell in 8gb and 16gb models, for $399.00 and $499.00 a pop. In light of this "breaking" news, the new prices might instead be $199.00 (8gb) and $249.00 (16gb).

Furthermore, an unnamed source from within TopiPhoneNews went on in confirming many of the features I have already reported on.

[via Fortune & TopiPhoneNews]

This report is currently unconfirmed, and has not been confirmed by an AT&T/Apple representative

iPhone in Canada Officially Announced

After months and months of speculation, rumors and probably an uncountable number exhauting negotiation hours  between Apple and Rogers, the "Canadian iPhone" was finally announced. Ted Rogers, Rogers' founder and CEO, finally spilled the beans, and issued a short and laconic press release that says:

We're thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can't tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned.

No date? No price? Are we going to see only a second generation iPhone in Canada?

3G iPhone: Not Glossy Black?

For a while now, we've been under the impression that the new iPhone will sport a glossy black case, news has arisen that would seem to suggest otherwise.

The folks down at MacRumors recently reported that the glossy back that we have been seeing in "leaked" images of the 3G may just be a 3rd party "protective case" for the iPhone.

While this news does not discredit the claim by Engadget's "trusted source" who has apparently had hands on experience with the new iPhone, it does draw some controversy upon this leaked image, as we all know from experience leaked images are for the most part usually doctored or faked.

[via MacRumors]

Image courtesy of WinandMac

2nd Generation (3G/GPS) iPhone: New Features!

According to a "trusted" source from within Engadget, the new 3G iPhone will be roughly the same size as the current iPhone, but perhaps slightly thicker.

Instead of having a recessed headphone jack that only supports certain headphones, the new iPhone is rumored to ship with a flush headphone jack allowing for universal headphone compatibility.

Additionally this "source" also said that the chrome backing/siding to the iPhone will be replaced by a glossy black plastic, greatly altering the physical appearance of the iPhone (chrome volume buttons).

Finally, this source also mentioned that the 3G will feature true GPS! This means no more WIFI triangulation, you will be able to track your position throughout the world via satellite!

As you all probably know already, the 2nd generation iPhone will include 3G, this means updated EDGE speed, this allows us to get faster internet anywhere in the world, WIFI or not!

One feature that will have probably not have changed with the release of the 3G, is the user's ability to remove the battery, it will still be securely locked within the iPhone. There is still no news yet in terms of extended/reduced battery life for the new iPhone.

None of these "rumors" have been confirmed by Apple Inc. yet, this means that none of the features mentioned above have been officially unveiled, and are purely speculation/unconfirmed reports.

The new iPhone is rumored to begin shipping and hitting store shelves as soon as July 2008, none of the above mentioned features have been finalized and are prone to modification or removal.

[via Engadget]

Image courtesy of The Daily Mac (Note, this picture is not a confirmed picture of a 3G iPhone)

Widgetbox Showcases iPhone Widgets in Gallery

Widgetbox, an online community of widget makers and users, has unveiled an iPhone widget gallery which iPhone users can access via their mobiles.

Widgetbox said that "a range of select widgets are immediately available in the Widgetbox iPhone Gallery including widgets for today’s top ten most interesting flickr images, the Fake Steve Jobs blog, the Yahoo! News RSS image feeds and the popular Magic 8-Ball widget for on-the-fly advice."

Those wishing to contribute widgets can watch a tutorial on how to do so.

Lunch Questions Answered With "Grub! on the go..."

Everyday around 11:35 a.m., my coworkers and I look around at each other and ask, "What's for lunch?" On the weekends, a similar routine occurs between my husband and me. We pop open the map on our iPhone, type whatever our stomach tells us to, and head off to our destination, blinded by hunger. Is the place any good? Who knows? Just feed us; we're starving.

But there is a better way. Grub! on the go... (formerly the Yelp Grub Finder) simply asks you to type your craving and your location, and it takes over from there. It will not only give you a much longer list of options than simply using the Map feature, but will also let you know how far away the place is, and give you star ratings at a glance. Better still, click on the restaurant of your choice and read the reviews that are posted on Yelp.com. Pick a spot, call them up, or map it and you're on your way.

Yelp + Map = Happy Stomachs. Check it out on your iPhone at grubonthego.com.

WebApp of the Week: AOL Money & Finance

This week's web application is essentially a souped up version of the iPhone's current "stocks" application.

For the avid investor, being able to check the fluctuation of your stocks throughout the day is a must, and sometimes the stocks application just doesn't cut it.

As you probably know with the built-in stocks application you can view the current trading price, the rise/fall of the stock's price, and also view simple charts depicting the stock's growth/decline.

With the AOL Money & Finance web application, you can get the day high/low, 52 week high/low, the previous closing price, as well as today's opening price. Much like the stocks application, you can also view the graphs documenting growth/decline (1 month, 3 months, year to date, 1 year, and 5 year increments.)

Check out AOL Money & Finance here (iPhone/iTouch)

GPS On the New iPhone? (3G)

No, I'm not talking about WIFI triangulation, but instead true global positioning on the iPhone!
At this point in time, GPS is only a rumor, but developers (with no affiliation with Apple) recently pulled some telling information from the SDK (Software Development Kit) that may hint at possible GPS on the iPhone.

While this "telling information" could be promising in terms of actual GPS, it could also be unrelated, so any and all information concerning true GPS on the iPhone at this point in time is purely speculative.

True GPS on the iPhone could potentially be what rockets it ahead of other "smart-phones", the possibilities for the integration of this technology are endless.

[via TopiPhoneNews]

AT&T Gets Nice iPhone Profits

That sound you hear of cash filling AT&T coffers of late has a big part owed to it by iPhone sales, which apparently have been doing the company a good measure of business. This is according to a Bloomberg report.

It has been stated iPhone sales, in part, helped drive recent profit for the company by over 20 percent. iPhone data, as has been been interpreted from the AT&T results, shows some 2 million iPhone folks on the AT&T wireless waves "at the end of last year."

It was almost mentioned that "more than 40 percent of iPhone buyers are new AT&T customers, and the average user of the Apple handset spends more than $90 a month on wireless service." Seems like AT&T scored themselves quite a deal indeed when they got the exclusive for the iPhone from Apple.

Mophie Juice Pack for the iPhone

Have you ever been on the road with your iPhone, and gotten down to that last little bar of battery? Doesn't it always seem as if your iPhone (or any cellphone for that matter) always runs out of battery just when you need it the most? Well, no longer will this be a problem for iPhone users!

Mophie recently developed and released their "Juice Pack" for the iPhone. What this accessory does for the iPhone, is give it exponentially more battery power. According to Mophie's website, the Juice Pack gives the iPhone up to 250 hours more standby time, up to 24 hours more audio playback, up to 8 hours more talk time, up to 7 hours more video playback time, and up to 6 more hours of internet use.

How does the Juice Pack work you ask? Well, to use the Juice Pack all you must do is charge it (using the iPhone adapter, or any iPod adapter for that matter) and then place your iPhone into it. A nice feature of the Juice Pack is that it allows you to charge both the module itself with the iPhone docked in it at the same time.

Cheaper iPhones in the UK! France?

Apparently negotiations between Apple Inc. and Orange, a French cellphone carrier, were initiated earlier this week. The main topic of these discussions was to lower the current price of the iPhone in France.

According to Les Echos, a French newspaper, Apple is not pleased with the performance and sales figures of the iPhone in France, only 100,000 iPhones have been sold there since they became available. Additionally, Orange has claimed that they are content with the current iPhone, so only time will tell whether or not a price cut is actually in the works.

We have recently seen iPhone price drops in countries such as Germany, why you ask? Well, with the upcoming release of the 3G iPhone, iPhone distributors around the world need shelf space!

More good news! Apple UK has recently cut the price of the iPhone in the UK by £100, from £269 to £169 ($527 to $331).

All of this bodes very well for a soon to come 3G iPhone release, which analysts predict will be released sometime in June, new appearance and all.

[via TopiPhoneNews]

Man bites dog

Everyone knows that at&t has terrible customer service, right? It's a nightmare, yes? Heaven knows I've said as much myself. We all know the score: the first slow activations, confused support, weird billing, yada yada yada.

Ok, so I'm here to tell you that today hell froze over.  Yes dear freaks, today I met an actual helpful at&t customer service rep.  There. I said it. Because it's true.

Here's the gig. So I get my iPhone bill. I look at the giant overage charges: US$28!

Omigod what did I do, call Mars while sleepwalking? Accidentally take the iPhone to Easter Island and forget to order up an international data plan?

Don't let their deathstar logo fool you here, though. So I called up the customer service line, waded through the voicemail menu -- just keep pressing 0 and promise to answer the survey -- until I finally got on the queue.

A mere 3 minutes later, which for at&t's reputation is the speed of light, a happy-sounding lady asks how she can help. I point out to her that I have extra minutes by the pound -- it's true, i rarely use all my iPhone minutes, so freaks, as Stephen Colbert says, "call me" -- meaning this must be a billing error.

On no she sweetly replies, this is the cost of about a gazillion text messages over the 200 limit that comes with the standard plan. D'oh! But my colleagues at my job and my vendor's project manager have taken to texting me about 10 times a nanosecond, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. (Do you know at&t appears to charge an extra fee for international text messages on top of the new price? So my colleagues in the UK really need to Skype me!)

Then said customer service rep says, well, that is a lot. Why don't you save money by paying just US$10 for the extended text plan that gives you 1500 sms? The unlimited is US$20, but it seems 1500 would be right for you, based on your last 2 bills.

Golly gee whilikers, she was actually right! And then she actually -- please sit down -- gave that plan to me retroactively, knocking US$18 off my bill this month alone. You read that correctly. She actually wrote off 18 bucks.

In shock that at&t would act against its reputation of using any and every opportunity to vac even the last lira out of a customer's pocket, I nearly didn't know what to say. So I said, thanks. Thanks to at&t.

Ice-skating on the fifth circle anyone? (We all know the 9th has long been cold.) How about ice-skating while texting?

WebApp of the Week: Tip Calculator

This week's web application is one of the simplest ones out there, so I'll keep it short and sweet. As you may have realized, most of your previous cellphones probably had a tip calculator, so you don't over-tip or under-tip your waiter, waitress, etc.

This web application is just like any other tip calculator for a cellphone, except it is available for the iPhone!

To use this application, all you must do is enter the total amount of your bill, and then select what percentage tip you wish to give. You can always use the calculator application to do this same thing, but this is so much cooler!

Another great function included in this application is the ability to select how many people there are in your party, and then divide the tip by that number.

Begin using the application here

VOIP Released for the iPhone!

Earlier today (April 15, 2008), Fring released a voice over IP or "VOIP" program, that allows you to call people free of charge (via the iPhone's WIFI connection)!

In addition to making calls, you can also use instant messaging clients such as AIM, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, Skype, and several others.

This release of Fring is not a final build, but is certainly shaping up to be one of the iPhone's most useful applications.

Be sure to watch the following video released by the creators of Fring, outlining it's basic functions.

Download Fring for your iPhone here

Read more about Fring here

iPhone v2.0: Saving of Web Images

According to Gizmodo, the iPhone 2.0 firmware will allow users to save web-images directly to the iPhone's hard drive.

"Just hold your finger against an image for a longer time than usual and the popup dialog will appear."

This feature is available in the latest beta seed (v 1.2.0) firmware.

Well, it is about time us iPhone users got this "practical" feature, I mean, it took Apple long enough to realize that they are after all giving us somewhat of a full-fledged internet and robbing us of one of it's key features!

[via Gizmodo]

10x Storage for the iPhone?

Apparently IBM has been cooking up a new technology that could potentially increase the iPhone's/iTouch's storage/battery life by up to ten times!

This new technology, also known as "racetrack" memory, according to IBM, could pave the way to portable media devices holding up to half a million songs, and not needing to charge for weeks at a time.

Although we have only barely scratched the surface of this revolutionary technology, scientists from IBM predict that we can expect to see racetrack technology popping up in technology devices within the next ten years.

[via AppleInsider]

Nike+ to Integrate with iPhone/iPod Touch

Nike is planning to convert their technology which was first used on the iPod Nano, to the iPhone.

What does this mean you ask? Well, this means that you can now upload your workout information wirelessly to Nike+'s website, via a Nike application presumably created with the SDK.

Unlike with the iPod Nano, with which you had to dock your iPod to upload this information (what a hassle), users of this service will be able to upload their workout/jogging information directly to Nike's website (via iPhone/iPod touch) and with 3g technology in the works, this process could be completed even quicker.

The Nike + iPod sport kit was initially launched in May of 2006 ($30), and since then has gone to sell millions of individual units, now integrated with the iPhone/iTouch, I can only imagine how many more will be sold.

[via AppleInsider]

Using your iPhone as a Home Theatre Remote

A home automation company by the name of SpeakerCraft has taken a novel approach to using your iPhone as one of its tools - you can now use the phone to control your home theater system and associated devices.

SpeakerCraft calls this remote control offering the MZC Control for iPhone. CE Pro reports the iPhone makes use of its Web browser to let you access an interface tied into "an embedded Web server" that is part of a larger control system. Through this interface one can view song information and playlists as well as, we assume, control various components and audio zones around the home.

The system reportedly will run you around $1,000.

Friday's Flashback Video: Apple Music Event 2001-The First Ever iPod Introduction

Technology changes so fast! But the thing is we don't even realize it! I'm pretty sure you still remember what you did on New Year's eve 2000. Right? But check this video to see how things changed since that time. Steve Job is presenting the first iPod ever: A 5GB hard drive based iPod.

iPhone 2.0 (Firmware) Beta: Contact Search

Earlier today (April 10, 2008), Engadget released a series of screenshots of the new iPhone 2.0 beta firmware update.

One of the most notable features included in this seed of the 2.0 beta, is the ability to search through your contacts list.

This means no more manually sorting through your contacts, instead you can use the new search feature to find one person in particular.

Check back with iPhonefreak for the latest news regarding the 2.0 firmware!

[via Engadget]

BD Touch By NetBlender: Blu-ray BD-Live Goes iPhone!

We've talked about it two days ago, but Netblender officially announced their iPhone BD-Touch SDK for BD-Live only today.

I'm so thrill about this, it's insane. Two of our most popular blogs, Blurayfreak.com and iPhonefreak.com have usually nothing in common, but are now sharing an awesome news: the "BD Touch", a Blu-ray disc to iPhone technology.

NetBlender's BD Touch technology enhances the capabilities of BD Live by enabling two-way communication with Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch. BD Touch uses the BD Live network connection built into Blu-ray players and the WiFi connection on the iPhone to connect the devices.

Use iPhone to Control Your Blu-ray Player

With the release of th iPhone SDK last month, the iPhone is set to become a extremely popular device (ok, it’s already a blockbuster…). With its powerful interface and Wi-Fi connectivity, the iPhone could even be called the “Jack of all trades and master of all” of electronic devices. And since Blu-ray won the HD format war this last winter, chances are that a Blu-ray player will soon make its way in your living room.

NetBlender knows these facts and that’s why the company will introduce "BD Touch", a technology that links a BD-Live Blu-ray player to any iPod Touch or iPhone.

But the iPhone won’t serve only as a Blu-ray player remote control, but will enable instant interactivity including e-commerce and sadly, advertising.

“The key thing is that BD Touch is a two way communication technology, meaning BD Touch allows Blu-Ray discs to send and receive data from an iPhone/iPod Touch,” says Denny Breitenfeld, NetBlender’s CTO. “The data can be images, text, audio, video and what we call Player commands like fast forward. This technology is going to be built into our professional Blu-Ray authoring tool so studios can take advantage of it, and we are releasing an SDK so developers can create all kinds of applications for consumer.”

Serious stuff for the living room!

Not to sure what BD-Live is all about? Watch this video.

Quake 3 Arena Ported to the iPod Touch

The details surrounding this story are very scarce, but what we do know is that iPod Touch users have managed to port (convert) the popular first person shooter "Quake 3: Arena" onto the iPod Touch (from platforms such as the PC, Sega Dreamcast, Mac, and Playstation 2.)

This video shows Quake 3 on the iPod Touch, which means that it should also be compatible with the iPhone.

From the video we can see that network-play is enabled, meaning that multiplayer with other iPhone users is present. This is a big plus for the iPhone in terms of it making leaps to become the next mobile gaming platform.

Finally, the video also shows that this port of Quake 3: Arena utilizes the iTouch's accelerometer for directionality (tilt the iTouch/iPhone in the direction you wish to move), and the multitouch interface for shooting (tap once to fire).

[via Gizmodo]

iPhone case: The Xylo T2 by Ivyskin

Ivyskin recently announced the Xylo Touch-Thru (T2) iPhone case. This new crystal case comes with a hard screen shell to protect the iPhone screen, but let’s you use the iPhone screen at all time. Surface Xylo Wave (SXW) technology passes ultrasonic waves that pass over the touch screen panel and transfer them to the iPhone's screen without any interference.  Too good to be true? I can’t say for now, but it does look good.

This is an impact-resistant case and the company says it offers a durable protection against scratches and dust, while allowing full access to all controls, including the touchscreen.
The new iPhone case goes on sale this week for $35.

3g iPhone: Glossy Black?

The folks over at iPhoneObserver recently posted a photo they claim to be of the 3g iPhone, which features a glossy black back. According to their website:

"Apparently the new iPhone will also sport a glossy black back, replacing the satin nickel look found on the current model."

Could this just be a custom paint job? Well, we won't know for sure until the 3g iPhone is officially unveiled by Steve Jobs.

At this point in time, nothing is confirmed, and I cannot say for sure whether or not the 3g iPhone will actually have a glossy black back (what a mouthful...), only time will tell!

[via iPhoneObserver]

German iPhone Price Cut: €399 to €99

Today, T-Mobile Germany recently cut the price of their 8gb iPhone from €399 to €99. This deal is only available with the purchase of a two year contract, at €29 ($45) a month.

Now you may be wondering: "why on earth did they do that?" Well, in preparation for the release of the iPhone 3g, Apple is "getting rid" (for lack of a better word) of all current iPhone models in overstocked areas such as Europe.

You're probably thinking right now, "great, Germany gets cheaper iPhones", well yeah, they do, but we also get the iPhone 3g soon (hopefully sooner than June 08)!

The reason that North Americans are not receiving a price cut in their iPhone, is well, because there are very few iPhones left to cut the prices of! (read entire story here) The situation in Europe happens to be nearly the exact opposite, retail stores are overstocked and therefore need to get rid of some of their inventory.

[via AppleInsider]

3G iPhone Sooner than Expected?

Analysts have been set scurrying this week by news such as the US iPhone shortage. Because of events such as this, analyst speculation has been at an all-time high, the biggest question on their minds: "will we be getting a 3G iPhone sooner than we had thought?" (June)

Apart from the analyst uproar, several other factors have led both me, and many other iPhone bloggers to come to the conclusion that the 3G iPhone is going to hit the market sooner than expected.

The first of these"factors" is the fact that the next iPhone firmware update is not set to release until the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), probably coinciding with the 3G iPhone release. Secondly, Hon Hai (Taiwan) recently won a contract from Apple Inc. providing them with at least 10 million 3G iPhones for sale later this year in Asia.

Unfortunately, analysts do not have a set date (or even a set month) that they believe the 3G iPhone will be released, their predictions range from early May in Spain, to sometime in the 2nd quarter (late September.)

We can only hope that Apple is planning to release the 3G iPhone sooner rather than later, but hey, I think we can hold out a bit longer with what we've got right now.

Be sure to check back to iPhonefreak for the latest news regarding this story!

[via phonemag & iPhonebuzz]

Griffin Offers iPhone Owners New Wave Case

Griffin Technology recently popped out a new family of colorful iPhone cases which look pretty cool at first glance. They are known as the Griffin Wave and you'll find they cost around $25 a pop.

The Griffin Wave iPhone cases come in red, orange, pink, green, blue and black. The design of the case has wave-shaped contours which over lap and interlock to provide more durability, according to Griffin. A polycarbonate material makes up its body.

And, yes, it allows full access to the ports, controls and touchscreen display.

David Beckham Given a Gilded iPod Touch

LA Galaxy midfielder, David Beckham, was given a gilded iPod Touch (the 32gb model) by his English Club teammates for his "100th England Cap" (as the engraving on the back reads).

For those of you who aren't familiar with soccer terminology, "100th England Cap" means that Beckham has participated in 100 international games for his country of origin (England).

Apparently Beckham's English teammates only paid £600 ($1,188), if you have that much money, please don't spend it all on a gold covered iPod (get a gilded iPhone instead!)

If you want to get an engraved iPod Touch, you can get yours custom engraved (text only) by Apple directly from their website.

[via Telegraph.co.uk]

WebApp: iEmergency

iEmergency is an extremely simple WebApp, yet one day it might just save your life.

To use this web application, all you must do is choose whatever country you are in (or whatever country you need the number for) and the web application will do the rest, giving you the local police/emergency telephone number.

More conveniently, you don't even need to open up the phone "component" of your iPhone, to dial the emergency number, all you need to do is hit "CALL NOW".

Click here to use this potentially life-saving web application on your iPhone/iPod Touch

New iPhone Ads Released

Apple recently released three new video advertisements on their website earlier this week.

These ads, titled "Bet", "Brilliant", and "Music Store", feature some of the (semi) recently updated iPhone functions.

The first of these three ads, "Bet", shows how you can easily resolve a bet ("I bet you $5 that the all time basketball scoring leader was...) by using the iPhone's built-in Safari browser that we've come to know and love. As the ad says, "then you have the internet, and five bucks in your pocket!"

The second ad, "Brilliant" features the iPhone's map feature, and more specifically it's ability to use Wi-Fi "triangulation" and give you step by step directions to a destination. I have found that this is one of the iPhone's most useful features, seeing as how I spend a good deal of my time getting lost in the streets of Los Angeles!

Finally, the last ad, titled "Music Store", demonstrates how you can essentially use a fully functional iTunes right from your phone (find, preview, purchase, and listen to).

Well, thats all for now, I do hope that Apple keeps posting up these great little ads, but then they might have an even greater iPhone shortage, oh well!

Watch the video ads here (scroll down)

Blackberry 9000... oh well.

Some of us thought that RIM was going to make it interesting with the Blackberry 9000. Earlier reports seemed to indicate that RIM recognized the "It" factor of the iPhone, and was adopting some new jazz into their upcoming handset.

aaannd...not so much.

Pictures released of the Blackberry 9000 are surprising.

MacDailyNews reports... "RIM clearly seems to have tried to copy Apple's iPhone exterior look, but beyond that derivative bit of attempted tomfoolery, the anachronistic physical buttons remain, taking up space whether or not they're in use. Also remaining is the small screen, mashed into the upper half of the device in order to make room for those tiny, slippery-looking plastic buttons festooned all over the bottom half of the device."

I could go into analyzing the new RIM device further, but why bother? We thought they had the nerve to drop the physical keyboard, at least on the face of one device, but it doesn't look that way. I understand their reluctance to drop the keyboard, but the same old smaller screen with big clunky monochrome buttons on it isnt going to help them while Apple brings user savvy to the corporate market.

And about those keyboards?... based on a February survey of iPhone owners that found 72% “very satisfied” (versus 55% for RIM), Apple’s gamble seems to have paid off. It's a great "virtual" keyboard, and just gets better.

I've said, a few times, that I thought RIM, more so than Microsoft or Palm, would apply what they've all been talking about... user "experience"... and step out a bit. We're still not seeing it. I don't expect any of them to be able to emulate the "It" of the iPhone... I just expected RIM to be more interesting this year while trying.

Another US iPhone Shortage?

According to AppleInsider, Apple retail stores from across the country have recently been experiencing shortages of 8gb/16gb iPhones (sold-out).

Clerks from their respective Apple Stores (Florida, New York, etc) are unsure of when they will be receiving their next shipment of iPhones.

International Apple Stores are faring much better than US stores in terms of iPhone stock. French, German, Irish, and Austrian Apple Stores are all shown to have iPhones (8gb/16gb) in stock, and available for purchase.

I guess this shortage does say something about the iPhone, it's extremely popular! Technically consumers like you and me are responsible for this shortage (don't take it personally!)

Be sure to read my previous article about German/US iPhone shortages (March 14, 2008).

Image courtesy of CNET